Teardown: Microsoft Surface Tablet

The iFixit folks found that they had to remove 17 pesky Torx screws to almost get the rear case off. The final step is to unhook the ribbon cable which tethers the battery to a connector on the motherboard.

A tablet is no more a tool for doing real work than a leatherman is a tool for rebuilding IC engines. For real work, use a real computer. Most people who have a PC at home don't use it for real work (self included).

EREBUS raises a very good question. It was exactly what I went after to experience the Surface. I am impress with the keyboard. Using Word and Excel are very similar to the previous. Switching between tasks using Windows 8 interface is as easy as before. The feel is better through.
If you are not familiar with the GUI, Windows 8 has 2 GUIs - the palette type (brand new interface) and the Windows 7 interface. Switching between them is a very intuitive.
I'm impressed with the Surface.

Word and Excel are not the ones I would like to work with: For me it is Open Office. Each year I donate EUR 50,- and these guys ensure that I can do what I need, on MAC or on PC, Don't worry about that. The world does not need Micro$oft, not any more.

windows can grow into hardware. i have never seen any detailed explanation why storage usage keeps going up, and the system is getting slower over time. the best user experiences is always right after the fresh installation.
intel hasn't really solved the power issue yet. the combination of Microsoft+Intel for tablet market really needs more effort.
positive selling points: pc apps compatibility; MS UI, high performance;
negative side: power consumption; price tag; system stability (neither company is successful in embedded systems)
rumor said the reason Microsoft didn't offer 16GB model is because the OS+ basic app will take almost all the space in storage. if there is a 16GB model, then it will be very funny when people find out they only have 1GB left for their own data such as video/photo/music, etc.

The great irony with Microsoft is that they have usually done a really good job with their hardware - the microsoft split keyboard, mouse, xbox, kinect to datacenter hardware ... and now the cover that doubles as a keyboard - innovative stuff.
Their software has been another story. If windows 8 is as stable and intuitive as macos/ios then MSFT might be back!

Providing good connectivity is a plus, but the microsoft name tells me that it will have bugs that will appear down the road. More important, why should I need to learn a new interface to use those programs that I currently use? Not only is my current OS adequate for all of my uses, it mostly has all of the bugs taken care of. So why, aside from corporate greed, should I be forced to learn a new OS, and new versions of programs, that offer no advantages that I can see, except additional income to MS.
Also, I too wonder about why they all slow down after a few months. Is that some originally installed malware intended to force us into the next product offering? Or is it just poor programming and a poorly designed OS?

At home we've updated two computers to use Windows 8 and both my wife and daughter like it and learned it OK. I would not use this Surface keyboard because my typing speed goes way down without a physical keyboard. I use an iPad 3 with Logitech Ultrathin keyboard for fastest typing speed.

The following is an AP article from yesterday:
"Research group IDC said Wednesday that global shipments of personal computers fell 14 percent in the first three months of 2013, the sharpest plunge since the firm started tracking the industry in 1994. IDC said Microsoft's Windows 8 software appears to be driving buyers away from PCs and toward smartphones and tablets." It IS relevant to this discussion.